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Landrieu Could Swing at Export Limits With Energy Gavel

Picture released, 12 December 2007 by the Norwegian Coastal Administration showing an aerial photo of the tanker Navion Britannia which was loading oil from a loading buoy and left a major oilspill in Statfjord, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Norwegian coast. According to preliminary estimates from the Petroleum Safety Authority, some 3,840 cubic metres, the equivalent of 24,150 barrels or 3,220 tonnes of oil, had spilled into the sea.

Max Baucus is bail­ing on the Sen­ate to be­come am­bas­sad­or to China at just the right time for ad­voc­ates of ex­port­ing U.S. nat­ur­al gas and crude oil.

As we ex­plained here, the Montana Demo­crat’s con­firm­a­tion would put Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., on a likely path to chair the Sen­ate En­ergy and Nat­ur­al Re­sources Com­mit­tee.

The con­sult­ing firm Clear­View En­ergy Part­ners, in a short ana­lys­is, notes that Landrieu would be re­pla­cing ex­port skep­tic Ron Wyden, D-Ore., atop the en­ergy pan­el as the pet­ro­leum in­dustry is seek­ing faster gas-ex­port ap­provals from reg­u­lat­ors.

“To the ex­tent that Wyden’s pref­er­ences and re­la­tion­ship with [En­ergy Sec­ret­ary Ern­est] Mon­iz may have factored in­to a pos­sible ‘pause’ in [gas-ex­port] au­thor­iz­a­tions, the pro­spects of that pause (or at least its dur­a­tion) could di­min­ish with Landrieu at the helm of the Com­mit­tee,” Clear­View writes of Landrieu, an ally of oil and gas com­pan­ies.

Oil pro­du­cers are also push­ing to dis­mantle stat­utory lim­its and fed­er­al policies that ba­sic­ally ban U.S. crude ex­ports.

“We would sug­gest that an En­ergy Com­mit­tee led by two oil-state sen­at­ors could en­gage in con­sid­er­ably more sub­stant­ive de­bate than we an­ti­cip­ated pri­or to 2015,” they write, and pre­dict that “ro­bust de­bate in 2014 could set the stage for pos­sible le­gis­lat­ive change in 2015.”

Landrieu would be­come chair­wo­man if Wyden, as ex­pec­ted, takes the Fin­ance Com­mit­tee top slot that Baucus would va­cate.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are threatening to block the spending bill—and prevent the Senate from leaving town—"because it would not extend benefits for retired coal miners for a year or pay for their pension plans. The current version of the bill would extend health benefits for four months. ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Thursday afternoon moved to end debate on the continuing resolution to fund the government through April 28. But unless Senate Democrats relent, that vote cannot be held until Saturday at 1 a.m. at the earliest, one hour after the current funding measure expires."

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PARLIAMENT VOTED 234-56

South Korean President Impeached

1 hours ago

THE LATEST

The South Korean parliament voted on Friday morning to impeach President Park Geun-hye over charges of corruption, claiming she allowed undue influence to a close confidante of hers. Ms. Park is now suspended as president for 180 days. South Korea's Constitutional Court will hear the case and decide whether to uphold or overturn the impeachment.

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CLOSED FOR INAUGURAL ACTIVITIES

NPS: Women’s March Can’t Use Lincoln Memorial

1 hours ago

THE DETAILS

Participants in the women's march on Washington the day after inauguration won't have access to the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service has "filed documents securing large swaths of the national mall and Pennsylvania Avenue, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial for the inauguration festivities. None of these spots will be open for protesters."

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2.1 PERCENT IN 2017

President Obama Boosts Civilian Federal Pay

1 hours ago

THE LATEST

President Obama on Thursday announced a pay raise for civilian federal employees of 2.1 percent come January 2017. He had said multiple times this year that salaries would go up 1.6 percent, so the Thursday announcement came as a surprise. The change was likely made to match the 2.1 percent increase in salary that members of the military will receive.

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SHUTDOWN LOOMING

House Approves Spending Bill

20 hours ago

BREAKING

The House has completed it's business for 2016 by passing a spending bill which will keep the government funded through April 28. The final vote tally was 326-96. The bill's standing in the Senate is a bit tenuous at the moment, as a trio of Democratic Senators have pledged to block the bill unless coal miners get a permanent extension on retirement and health benefits. The government runs out of money on Friday night.